If someone or something is familiar to you, you recognize them or know them well.
He talked of other cultures as if they were more familiar to him than his own. [+ to]
They are already familiar faces on our TV screens.
...the familiar names of long-established local firms.
Synonyms: well-known, household, everyday, recognized More Synonyms of familiar
familiarity (fəmɪliærɪti)uncountable noun
Tony was unnerved by the uncanny familiarity of her face.
Synonyms: disrespect, forwardness, overfamiliarity, liberties More Synonyms of familiar
Synonyms: friendliness, friendship, intimacy, closeness More Synonyms of familiar
2. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVEwith noun]
If you are familiar with something, you know or understand it well.
Lesinko is quite familiar with Central Television. He worked there for 25 years.
Most people are familiar with this figure from Wagner's opera.
familiarityuncountable noun
The enemy would always have the advantage of familiarity with the rugged terrain. [+ with]
Synonyms: disrespect, forwardness, overfamiliarity, liberties More Synonyms of familiar
Synonyms: friendliness, friendship, intimacy, closeness More Synonyms of familiar
Synonyms: acquaintance, experience, understanding, knowledge More Synonyms of familiar
3. adjective
If someone you do not know well behaves in a familiar way towards you, they treat you very informally in a way that you might find offensive.
[disapproval]
The driver of that taxi-cab seemed to me familiar to the point of impertinence.
John's 'crime' was being too familiar with the manager and calling him Gouldy.
Synonyms: disrespectful, forward, bold, presuming More Synonyms of familiar
familiarityuncountable noun
...the easy familiarity with which her host greeted the head waiter.
Synonyms: disrespect, forwardness, overfamiliarity, liberties More Synonyms of familiar
Synonyms: friendliness, friendship, intimacy, closeness More Synonyms of familiar
familiarlyadverb
'Gerald, isn't it?' I began familiarly.
More Synonyms of familiar
familiar in British English
(fəˈmɪlɪə)
adjective
1.
well-known; easily recognized
a familiar figure
2.
frequent or customary
a familiar excuse
3. (postpositive; foll bywith)
acquainted
4.
friendly; informal
5.
close; intimate
6.
more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous
7. an archaic word for familial
noun
8. Also called: familiar spirit
a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc
9.
a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support
10.
an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons
11.
a friend or frequent companion
Derived forms
familiarly (faˈmiliarly)
adverb
familiarness (faˈmiliarness)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin familiāris domestic, from familiafamily
familiar in American English
(fəˈmɪljər)
adjective
1. Archaic
having to do with a family
2.
friendly, informal, or intimate
to be on familiar terms
3.
too friendly; unduly intimate or bold; presumptuous
4.
having an intimate knowledge of; closely acquainted (with)
familiar with the Bible
5.
well-known; common; ordinary
a familiar sight
6.
domesticated
said of animals
noun
7.
a.
a close friend or associate
b. Rare
habitué
c. Archaic
an ecclesiastical servant or agent
8. Folklore
an evil spirit constantly attending someone and typically dwelling within an animal; also, the animal within which such a spirit dwells
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈcommon
SYNONYMY NOTE: familiar is applied to that which is known through constant association, and, with referenceto persons, suggests informality, or even presumption, such as might prevail amongmembers of a family; , close1 is applied to persons or things very near to one in affection, attraction, interests,etc.; , intimate implies very close association, acquaintance, relationship, etc. or suggests somethingof a very personal or private nature; , confidential implies a relationship in which there is mutual trust and a sharing of private thoughts,problems, etc.
Derived forms
familiarly (faˈmiliarly)
adverb
Word origin
ME familier < OFr < L familiaris, of a household, domestic < familia, family
Examples of 'familiar' in a sentence
familiar
Back on familiar territory to face his old club and the team he regards as the best in the world.
The Sun (2016)
The military bootcamp is now such a familiar subject of documentaries and films that it has become its own entertainment genre.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But there were no familiar faces.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She's a familiar face rather than a famous name.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This was the kind of writing that makes you pause and look again at something so familiar that you had ceased to notice it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is familiar territory for Sewell.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A source familiar with the thinking said:'People say we have not got any cards.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Today it is one of the most familiar sights in the countryside.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One or two familiar figures may have retired.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This most familiar person turns to see him now and is overwhelmed.
Christianity Today (2000)
Why did that pretty face seem so familiar?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Sources familiar with the talks stressed that no deal had yet been agreed.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Those who are already familiar with fasting know what they can expect of themselves.
Lutzner, Dr Helmut Successful Fasting -the easy way to cleanse your body of its poisons (1990)
Yet veteran fans may detect something distinctly familiar about much of the new show.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
WE'RE all familiar with different ways of addressing people around the country.
The Sun (2012)
This decisive approach is familiar to close friends.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The path was familiar to him now.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
They are familiar and friendly and therefore difficult to refuse!
Pearce, John (Dr.) Good Habits, Bad Habits (1994)
One person familiar with the situation compared it to a run on a bank.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are lots of familiar faces from comedy at the festival.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There was something about the uniform that felt so reassuringly familiar.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
The fixed grin had given way to that familiar look of resignation.
The Sun (2008)
Connections that are a surprise on the first bite and familiar best friends on the second.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The footage accompanying it uses a now familiar slogan.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Yet this lie-in king sticks to familiar territory.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
What makes the film such compelling drama is how familiar the landscape is almost 25 years on.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
As he stepped into the lights, the familiar giant figure looked stricken.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Thankfully, there are some friendly and familiar faces too.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
If you have bought a new car recently, you may already be familiar with lane assist and parking cameras.
The Sun (2015)
A source familiar with the matter said that the employee had posted details of the 900 on a website used to trade stolen financial data.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
familiar
British English: familiar /fəˈmɪlɪə/ ADJECTIVE
If someone or something is familiar to you, you recognize them or know them well.
Her name sounds familiar to me.
American English: familiar
Arabic: مَأْلُوف
Brazilian Portuguese: familiar
Chinese: 熟悉的
Croatian: poznat
Czech: známý
Danish: bekendt
Dutch: bekend vertrouwd met
European Spanish: familiar
Finnish: tuttu
French: familier
German: bekannt
Greek: οικείος
Italian: familiare
Japanese: よく知られている
Korean: 잘 알려져 있는
Norwegian: fortrolig
Polish: znajomy
European Portuguese: familiar
Romanian: cunoscut
Russian: знакомый
Latin American Spanish: familiar
Swedish: förtrolig
Thai: คุ้นเคย
Turkish: bildik
Ukrainian: знайомий
Vietnamese: quen thuộc
All related terms of 'familiar'
familiar face
Your face is the front part of your head from your chin to the top of your forehead , where your mouth, eyes, nose , and other features are.
familiar figure
You refer to someone that you can see as a figure when you cannot see them clearly or when you are describing them.
familiar sight
A sight is something that you see.
familiar sound
A sound is something that you hear .
familiar spirit
a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch , wizard , etc
familiar story
A story is a description of an event or something that happened to someone, especially a spoken description of it.
familiar theme
A theme in a piece of writing, a talk , or a discussion is an important idea or subject that runs through it.
familiar routine
A routine is the usual series of things that you do at a particular time. A routine is also the practice of regularly doing things in a fixed order.
familiar surroundings
When you are describing the place where you are at the moment , or the place where you live, you can refer to it as your surroundings .
Chinese translation of 'familiar'
familiar
(fəˈmɪlɪəʳ)
adj
(= well-known)[face, voice, name]熟悉的 (shúxī de)
(= intimate)[behaviour, tone]亲(親)密的 (qīnmì de)
to be familiar with[subject]对(對) ... 熟悉 (duì ... shúxī)
to be on familiar terms (with sb)(与(與)某人)交情好 ((yǔ mǒurén) jiāoqíng hǎo)
1 (adjective)
Definition
frequent or common
They are already familiar faces on our TV screens.
Synonyms
well-known
It is a well-known fact that sugar can cause tooth decay.
household
everyday
an exhilarating escape from the drudgery of everyday life
recognized
common
Earthquakes are fairly common in this part of the world.
stock
They supply stock sizes outside the middle range.
domestic
repeated
ordinary
It was just an ordinary day for us.
conventional
routine
a series of routine medical tests
frequent
He is a frequent visitor to the house.
accustomed
He took up his accustomed position at the fire.
customary
It is customary to offer a drink or a snack to guests.
mundane
Be willing to do mundane tasks with good grace.
recognizable
common or garden (informal)
Opposites
unusual
,
unknown
,
unfamiliar
,
uncommon
,
infrequent
,
unaccustomed
2 (adjective)
Definition
friendly and informal
the old familiar relationship
Synonyms
friendly
a friendly atmosphere
close
She and Linda became very close.
dear
Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine.
intimate
I discussed this only with my intimate friends.
confidential
his propensity to treat one as a confidential friend on first meeting
amicable
The meeting ended on reasonably amicable terms.
chummy (informal)
You two seem to be very chummy all of a sudden.
buddy-buddy (slang, mainly US, Canadian)
palsy-walsy (informal)
Opposites
cold
,
formal
,
distant
,
detached
,
aloof
,
unfriendly
3 (adjective)
Definition
friendly and informal
the comfortable, familiar atmosphere
Synonyms
relaxed
Try to adopt a more relaxed manner.
open
easy
She laughed and joked and made easy conversation with everyone.
friendly
free
a confidential but free manner
near
I have no near relations.
comfortable
Lie down on your bed and make yourself comfortable.
intimate
an intimate candlelit dinner for two
casual
an easy-going young man with a casual approach to life
informal
She is refreshingly informal.
amicable
cordial
free-and-easy
unreserved
unconstrained
unceremonious
hail-fellow-well-met
4 (adjective)
Definition
more intimate than is acceptable
The driver of that taxi-cab seemed to me familiar to the point of impertinence.
Synonyms
disrespectful
People shouldn't treat each other in this disrespectful way.
forward
She is very forward and confident.
bold
Some young people may seem bold and confident, but inside they are very fragile.
presuming
intrusive
The cameras were not an intrusive presence.
presumptuous
It would be presumptuous of me to give an opinion.
impudent
Some were well behaved, while others were impudent.
overfamiliar
overfree
idiom
See familiar with
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accustomed
Definition
usual or customary
He took up his accustomed position at the fire.
Synonyms
usual,
established,
expected,
general,
common,
standard,
set,
traditional,
normal,
fixed,
regular,
ordinary,
familiar,
conventional,
routine,
everyday,
customary,
habitual,
wonted
in the sense of amicable
Definition
characterized by friendliness
The meeting ended on reasonably amicable terms.
Synonyms
friendly,
kindly,
brotherly,
civil,
neighbourly,
peaceful,
polite,
harmonious,
good-humoured,
amiable,
courteous,
cordial,
sociable,
fraternal,
peaceable
in the sense of bold
Definition
immodest or impudent
Some young people may seem bold and confident, but inside they are very fragile.